Police today hailed three schoolgirls who shopped a drug dealer after he tried to sell them valium outside a supermarket.
Ronald Reilly approached the teenagers in the car park of Dingwall’s Tesco and gave one of the girls a tablet.
The 14-year-old agreed to take it, but instead went straight to the nearby police station and reported Reilly, who was soon traced to a house in Peffery Road and arrested.
Dundee man Reilly, 39, has now been jailed for 16 month.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir told Inverness Sheriff Court when police searched him he still had blister packs and bags of drugs in his possession – some illegal and others not controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Analysis determined the drug given to the girl was not valium but Etizolam, a class-C drug.
Life spiralled out of control
Reilly, now of Kite Way, Perth, admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs and possession of two other illegal drugs and sentence was deferred for a background report last month.
Defence solicitor David Duncan said: “My client has a record spanning a number of years.
“He lost his father in October, 2018 and his personal life spiralled out of control.
“He failed to cope with the bereavement and turned to drugs.
“He was in a very bad place when these offences took place and had no regard for his own safety or well-being.”
He said Reilly has since re-started a previous relationship and left Dundee for Perth.
‘Thank you for doing the right thing’
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Ross Hamill praised the girls’ actions.
He said: “We welcome the sentence of Ronald Reilly and hope this sends a clear message to anyone who is involved in the distribution of drugs.
“Reilly went after our society’s most innocent, however thanks to the actions of three quick-thinking children, he did not cause anyone serious harm. I want to thank them for coming forward and doing the right thing.
“The consequences of anyone taking tablets, other than those prescribed to them, can be incredibly dangerous.
“Anyone who is offered un-prescribed tablets should contact police via 101 as soon as possible as we continue in our efforts to rid our streets of these harmful drugs,”
